School Committee approves budget

It took more than three hours on June 23, but the Wachusett Regional School District Committee finally approved a budget for next year that cuts $2,541,242 from the spending package approved in April.

The vote was 15 in favor, one opposed and three abstentions – 14 votes were required for passage.

“It’s not ideal,” School Superintendent Thomas Pandiscio said of the reductions, “but it’s a much better scenario that we had a couple of weeks ago.”

He was referring to a proposal to cut elementary art, music, gym and middle school foreign language next year, that brought out more than 100 angry parents, teachers and students to the committee’s June 8 meeting. All four subjects will remain in place this fall.

Pandiscio announced that by agreeing to two-day furloughs next year, the region’s teachers, administrators and nurses provided a “tremendous savings” to the budget, on the heels of agreeing to taking no step increases next year.

Dozens of positions will be lost next year, however, many through attrition (11 teachers), but most through layoffs. The number of special education, kindergarten and library aides will be reduced by 21.5 positions, which will affect all 12 district schools. Since the aides’ union rule is “last one in, first one out,” the number of positions lost per school will vary, so transfers will be necessary.

Several WRSDC members expressed concern about the personnel losses, particularly for special education students, but Pandiscio said though the positions are important, they are not critical and the reductions can be made while complying with special education requirements. Non-hire notices were expected to be sent out on June 25, the second-to-last day of school.

Other reductions had been listed earlier, including reduction of two administrative positions, two half-time custodians, a curriculum consultant, literacy coaches, and cuts in building and grounds, technology and libraries. Middle and high school late buses were eliminated, but committee members later asked that Pandiscio contact bus contractors to see if they could come to some arrangement with parents.

“This is a very tight budget,” Pandiscio said. “There’s no fall-back plan. No reserves.

“The cuts are painful,” he said. “I’m not recommending any of them, but am looking at maximum feasible benefit [to the most students]. My interest is being able to tell teachers they are not being fired.”

He said the 11 teachers lost through attrition will affect Dawson, Paxton, Chocksett, Houghton and the high school because those buildings enjoyed the best class sizes. Two teachers will be added at CentralTreeMiddle School in Rutland due to increased enrollment.

With this budget, Pandiscio said, the district maintains the school committee’s goal of no more than 26 students per classroom.

WRSDC chair Margaret Watson echoed the praises of several committee members for the hard work of Pandiscio and other administrators, teachers and all the unions to balance the budget in the wake of steadily declining state aid since January.

“All parties are to be congratulated,” she said. “It allows us to get by … but we don’t know how long these economic conditions will continue.

“We will make specific appeals in the coming year to the community,” she warned. “The staff cannot do it all.”